Injured center Greg Oden’s agent, Mike comely Sr., told the Miami Herald that despite a recent interview on Grantland.com where it was suggested that Oden would take off the 2012-13 season to recover, he may in fact be interested in playing next year for the Miami Heat.

“Greg has talked about Miami,” Conley said. “He has interest. He’s not retiring.”

Conely also said that Oden should be ready to play by this coming December or January.

Oden has not appeared in an NBA game since Dec. 5, 2009 and has only appeared in 82 games for the Blazers since being drafted first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. In his career, Oden has averaged 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.

In an extensive, surprisingly candid interview with Mark Titus of Grantland, former No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Greg Oden opened up about his five years in pro basketball and admitted he became an alcoholic early in his career with the Portland Trail Blazers.

“My cousin got wrapped up in the NBA lifestyle and threw parties at my house all the time,” Oden said. “So I got wrapped up in it too. When I played well, I’d drink to celebrate. And when I played poorly, I’d drink to forget. That second year in Portland, I pretty much became an alcoholic.”

Oden showed great promise as a freshman in Ohio State in 2007 but has played just 82 games in pro basketball due to injuries. Now a free agent, Oden opened up to Titus about his friend’s tragic death during his year at OSU, the pressures of being compared to No. 2 draft pick Kevin Durant, and his difficulty grasping the NBA lifestyle as a young, rich, black male living in Portland.

“Portland isn’t a great city to live in if you’re a young, African-American male with a lot of money,” Oden said. “But that’s especially true if you don’t have anybody to guide you. Since I was hurt the entire season, I was on my own a bunch and didn’t have veteran teammates around to help me adapt to the NBA lifestyle.”

Oden, who turned 24 in January, will be looking for a new job next year. The Blazers have released Oden, and he plans to take the 2012-13 season off, but he’ll be looking to return to the NBA down the road.

Former No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Greg Oden has gone through five major knee operations in as many years, but he’s not ready to give up yet. Mike Conley Sr., Oden’s agent and family friend, has told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that Oden still wants to revive his career in the NBA.

“He’s not retiring,” Conley said. “The only way that would happen is if he was forced to, and I don’t see that happening. He’s dedicated to making sure he’s back on the court as soon as possible.”

Oden was waived by the Portland Trail Blazers last month after making only 82 appearances in five seasons. The No. 1 pick in 2007 has averaged 9.4 points and 8.5 rebounds in limited minutes when healthy, but constant injury concerns have derailed him ever since his sensational freshman year at Ohio State.

“Everyone is quick to talk bust, but put themselves in his shoes,” Conley said. “He has gone through a lot as a young man and he is continuing to work to get back. For him to come back is going to be a remarkable perseverance on his behalf.”

Oden will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He hopes to return during the 2012-13 NBA season.

Portland Trail Blazers general manager Chad Buchanan told CBSSports.com that he still stands by the team’s selection of center Greg Oden over Kevin Durant in the 2007 NBA Draft.

“Looking back on it, I would still draft Greg,” he said. “Hindsight, it’s easy to make an assumption [now]… You can’t predict the injuries that would come. Going back on it, I wouldn’t have changed anything in drafting Greg.” When asked if the decision was unanimous among those in the room, Buchanan politely declined to reply.

Since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2007, Oden has had five knee surgeries and played in just 82 regular season games. The seven-footer most recently went under the knife yesterday to clean out debris in his knee, officially ruling him out for the rest of the 2011-2012 NBA season.

Oden has made more than $23 million in his brief career. He willbecome an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Blazers say injury plagued center Greg Oden miss will season after having microfracture surgery on his left knee today.

—
Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) February 20, 2012

Oden had the same procedure to “remove debris” from his left knee earlier this month, according to the Washington Post.

Oden has not appeared in an NBA game since Dec. 5, 2009 and has only appeared in 82 games for the Blazers since being drafted first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. In his career, Oden has averaged 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will undergo his fifth knee surgery in as many years on Monday, according to CBS Sports. 

Earlier this month, Oden underwent his fourth knee surgery when doctors removed debris from his right knee. Today they will undergo the same procedure on the other knee.

“He’s still considered out indefinitely,” Buchanan told CBSSports.com in early February. ”Having this procedure on the right knee and the possibility of his left knee doesn’t increase the likelihood of him playing soon.”

Oden has not played a game since fracturing his left patella on Dec. 5, 2009. Over his four-year career, Oden has played just 82 NBA games. He has missed the entirety of both the 2007-08 season and the 2010-11 season.

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden will undergo knee surgery to remove debris from his right knee, according to The Oregonian.

This most recent procedure will mark the fourth knee surgery he has undergone since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2007 NBA draft. Blazers general manager Chad Buchanan said that it is too early to say whether this most recent knee procedure will end Oden’s season.

“That would be speculation at this point,” Buchanan told Portland. “We are going to continue to stand by and support Greg and listen to what the doctors have to say after the surgery.”

Oden has not played a game since fracturing his left patella on Dec. 5, 2009. Over his four-year career, Oden has played just 82 NBA games. He has missed the entirety of both the 2007-08 season and the 2010-11 season.

Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden has suffered a setback in his recovery from microfracture knee surgery and may not be able to return to the NBA this season, according to Jason Quick of The Oregonian.

It was news when Oden was finally able to run this past offseason, so his return was never viewed as a sure thing, but on Thursday it was reported that he had signed a 1-year deal for $8.9 million to return to the Trail Blazers.  The amount of that contract will decrease following the latest news, Quick reports, to an indeterminate “lesser amount”.

On Thursday, Dr. Richard Steadman — who actually performed the surgery on Oden’s knee — gave him permission to increase his workload, according to Quick, but the Trail Blazers did not ultimately agree with the optimistic assessment.

Oden has not played a game since fracturing his left patella on Dec. 5, 2009. Over his four-year career, Oden has played just 82 NBA games.

Jason Quick of The Oregonian tweets that free agent Greg Oden has agreed upon a one-year deal worth $8.9 million that will allow him to return to the Portland Trail Blazers.

The former number one pick of the 2007 NBA draft has not played a game since Dec. 5, 2009 when he fractured his left patella.  The 7-foot center has played 82 NBA games- the equivalent of one season- in his four-year career.

Oden missed last season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his left knee.

“The mission has not been accomplished,’’ Bill Duffy Oden’s agent said to the paper. “The Blazers have stood by Greg, and now he is going to stand by them.’’

The Blazers hope for him to return by late January or early February.  In four seasons, Oden has averaged 9.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.